We are delighted to announce the winners of the 2019 edition of the Case Writing Competition.

Congratulations to all participants and winners!

Eric Cornuel, President of EFMD, congratulated the 2019 EFMD Case Competition Winners by saying: “The Case Writing Competition is an annual celebration of excellence in case writing and teaching at schools of business and management worldwide. Now, more than ever, heuristic and impactful research will pave the way towards economic recovery.

EFMD is proud to continue encouraging innovative case studies in cooperation with the Case Centre. This year, more than 550 cases were assessed by the judges in 17 management-related categories. We would like to thank the category sponsors and all the participants for their outstanding achievements.”

Richard McCracken, Director of The Case Centre, said: “The cases submitted to the EFMD case writing competition are always of a high standard, and 2019 is no different. The competition rightly highlights the fantastic work being carried out by case authors around the world, and The Case Centre is proud to support that.”

He added: “EFMD are excellent at encouraging the creation of quality cases in many topic areas, some of which are often underrepresented. This can be seen by the addition of four new categories this year: Hidden Champions, Innovative People Leadership Solutions in International Intergovernmental and Not-For-Profit Organisations, Responsible Business, and Women in Business.”

Please visit the Case Centre’s webpage to access the collection of the winning cases.

And the Case Writing Awards go to…

African Business Cases, sponsored by China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)

“SweepSouth South Africa: Contextually Intelligent Female Leadership of Entrepreneurial Domestic Services”, written by:

• Tracey Toefy, University of Pretoria, ZA
• Caren Scheepers, University of Pretoria, ZA

The winners commented: “We are passionate about cases on, and for African Businesses and therefore honoured to receive this EFMD Case Writing Award. SweepSouth South Africa represents a theoretical movement of contextualising women entrepreneurial leadership – with social impact at scale. The plight of domestic workers touches our and our students’ hearts. Teaching this case offers transformative learning experiences and inspires us to utilise multi-sided digital platforms for much needed job creation. It has been a privilege to co-author this case on the sharing economy and may Dr Aisha Pandor go from strength to strength in her ground-breaking efforts to transform an industry.”

Bringing Technology to Market, sponsored by Bringing Technology to Market (BTM) Center, ESMT Berlin

“TOMTOM: Mapping the Course from B2C to B2B”, written by:

• Steven Sweldens, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, NL
• Stefano Puntoni, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, NL
• Niela Kleinsmith, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, NL
• Matthieu Campion, formerly at TomTom Automotive
• Tao Yue, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, NL

“Much of our case discussion centers on how brands need to be managed over time. What do you do when your products have changed, your technologies have changed, your target audience has changed, yet your brand perceptions have lagged behind? We outline various options to participants after they have read the case, but before the start of the case discussion. What’s interesting is that by the end of the discussion, participants generally arrive at completely different conclusions about what should be done compared with their initial assessment, through a series of ‘aha!’ moments,” said Steven Sweldens, co-author of the case.

Continuous Improvement: The Journey to Excellence, sponsored by Instituto Internacional San Telmo – Cátedra Mayoral de Mejora Continua

“Northwestern Memorial Hospital: Smoothing Material Flow through the Receiving Area”, written by:

• John Nicholas, Loyola University of Chicago, US
• Paul Suett, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, US
• Hussam Bachour, University of Chicago Medicine, US

“We are certainly delighted and honored to be among the winners of the EFMD case competition, and also to be representing Loyola University Quinlan School of Business and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Our goal was to present an interesting and compelling story describing the application of relatively simple lean tools to provide dramatic improvements and cost savings to the internal supply chain of a large organization,” commented the authors.

Corporate Social Responsibility, sponsored by ESC PAU Business School

“Barry Callebaut: Forever Chocolate”, written by:

• Craig Smith, INSEAD, FR
• Ron Soonieus, INSEAD, FR
• Lisa Duke, self-employed, CH

The winners said: “This is a story about cocoa beans—about who grows them, who processes them, and who sells and consumes the chocolate they produce. It tells of a company that discovered that unless it addressed sustainability in its supply chain—especially the living and working conditions of farmers—there would be no cocoa beans. Barry Callebaut’s actions to do so, with its “Forever Chocolate” campaign, are illustrative of a company embracing radical corporate sustainability. But the challenges are immense. Executives, MBAs and senior undergraduate students have the opportunity to explore what sustainability would look like that really makes a difference, how that must become an integral part of strategy, how to drive sustainability initiatives across an organization, and the associated metrics necessary to chart progress. They are asked to assess Barry Callebaut’s progress to date and what they would recommend if it is to meet its sustainability goals by 2025.”

Entrepreneurship, sponsored by emlyon business school

“Developing an Effective Corporate Innovation System: The Case of the Bosch Group”, written by:

• Ann-Kathrin Leiting, ETH Zürich, CH
• Jana Thiel, ETH Zürich, CH
• Bart Clarysse, ETH Zürich, CH

“We are very honoured and excited to receive this recognition for our case. Our ambition was to spark discussions and offer practical insight into how corporate entrepreneurship can be organised to support the renewal of organisations in this time of unprecedented change. We are delighted to see the great interest in this topic and we hope that our case will serve as a valuable addition to contemporary management programs, enriching many classroom discussions,” shared the authors of the winning case.

Family Business, sponsored by Suliman S. Olayan School of Business, American University of Beirut

“Technology Park Company: Harvesting the fruits of a family business”, written by:

• Ashraf Sheta, American University in Cairo (AUC), EG
• Gamila Ibrahim, American University in Cairo (AUC), EG
• Ahmed Darwich, American University in Cairo (AUC), EG
• Ahmed El Tahan, American University in Cairo (AUC), EG
• Ali Fouda, American University in Cairo (AUC), EG
• Farah El Misalami, American University in Cairo (AUC), EG

“We are honored to receive the prestigious award of EFMD competition for the year 2019. The field of family business is still young, and the most interesting aspect of it; is that it is a mix between several disciplines with different factors ranging from emotions to analysis of rigid data. The case is addressing several challenges pertaining to the Egyptian context including, succession, strategy, ownership, and governance. Realizing the importance of case orientation as a learning pedagogy within business schools, we hope that our case can help to further develop the discipline of family business,” said the authors.

Finance and Banking, sponsored by Portsmouth Business School

“JPMorgan Chase & Co. – Creating a Next-Gen Banking Experience Powered by Digital Technology”, written by:

• Anil Anirudhan, ICFAI Business School, IN
• Sanjib Dutta, ICFAI Business School, IN

The winning authors remarked: “We are delighted to learn that our case has been recognised by EFMD. The banking and financial services industry is getting disintermediated and platform players are giving serious competition to the traditional banking and financial services providers. Traditional firms need to alter the way they did business to survive the onslaught from platform players. Our case is about how JPMC’s focus on digital technologies is creating superior customer experience and helping the bank preempt competition both from banking and platform players. JPMC is poised to take the competition head-on with the use of digital technologies.”

Hidden Champions, sponsored by Hidden Champions Institute (HCI), ESMT Berlin

“Digitally-powered Customer-centricity in the Industrial Gas Sector: The Air Liquide-Airgas Merger”, written by:

• David Dubois, INSEAD, SG
• Jean-Michel Moslonka, Agalio, FR

The authors stated: “Winning this award is very meaningful to us. We took a risk by writing a case at the crossroads of three key contemporary business challenges: what does it mean to be customer-centric as customers become increasingly diverse? How to build and drive one’s digital transformation to leverage analytics and create new customer value for different segments? How to enact a glocal strategy – strengthening one’s global leadership and using unique local talents and capabilities simultaneously? We hope our case will help business professors around the world to trigger rich classroom discussions around these topics among undergraduate, graduate, and executive audiences!”

Inclusive Business Models, sponsored by IMD – Institute for Management Development

“BanaPads: To grow or not to grow? That is the question”, written by:

• Luisa Alemany, London Business School, UK
• Nicholas Andreou, Big Society Capital, UK
• Alma Gutierrez, Elevar Equity, MX

“When I first heard about the story of BanaPads, as a judge in a social impact competition, I was immediately interested. The challenge that Richard, the founder, was facing, with the decision of how much to grow and how to finance that growth while increasing the social impact, was something that many successful social entrepreneurs have to deal with as they move forward. Hybrid organizations, looking for external investors, really need to balance the trade-off between social and financial returns” said Luisa Alemany, associated professor of management practice at London Business School.

“It was quite inspiring to find a man fighting and providing support and help for women basic health in Uganda. Richard represents the type of person we need in this world: emphatic, supportive and hard-working”. Added Alma Gutierrez and Nicholas Andreou, co-authors of Prof. Alemany, and currently both working in the impact investing sector.

Indian Management Issues and Opportunities, sponsored by EFMD

EFMD would like to warmly thank the jury members Prof. Radha R. Sharma, Prof. Vaidyanathan Jayaraman, and Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal for their expertise and contribution in assessing the cases submitted in the “Indian Management Issues and Opportunities” category.

“Pepperfry.com: Turning the tables on disruption”, written by:

• Amit M. Joshi, IMD – Institute for Management Development, CH
• Ivy Buche, IMD – Institute for Management Development, CH

The winners commented: “We are honoured and thrilled to receive the EFMD case award. Furniture start-up Pepperfry brings to life the paradox of industry disruption and market creation within the challenging context of an emerging market. The animated classroom discussions on Pepperfry’s strategic moves to become a market leader invariably leaves a lasting impact on our participants. We look forward to wider adoption of the case by academics and students globally.”

Innovative People Leadership Solutions in International Intergovernmental and Not-for-profit Organisations, sponsored by AHRMIO

“Managing the growth of an innovative subsidiary in the voluntary sector: Fondation Caritas France, an offshoot of Secours Catholique”, written by:

• Arthur Gautier, ESSEC Business School, FR

With the assistance of Fanny Massy, ESSEC Business School student.

The author commented: “Thank you very much to EFMD for this award! I am deeply honoured to receive the 2019 Case Writing Competition for this case on intrapreneurial innovation in established charitable organisations. I am grateful to Fondation Caritas France – a philanthropic subsidiary set up within Secours Catholique – for their openness and willingness to contribute to pedagogy. The case sheds light on the process and success factors of an intrapreneurial innovation, and on the challenges of managing unexpected success of a subsidiary – potentially competing with the parent organization. I hope students all around the world enjoy learning from it.”

Latin American Business Cases, sponsored by Universidad Externado de Colombia

“Cinépolis S.A. de C.V. and KLIC: Rising to the Streaming Challenge “, written by:

• Francisco Gil-White, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, MX

“I thank EFMD for finding my work worthy of the Latin American Business Case category prize. I also thank my institution, the Business School at ITAM (Mexico City) for its unflagging commitment to case-study education in the last few years, which has allowed us to train winning case-resolution teams (nationally and internationally) and well-rounded professionals. Now we add a winning case! I thank also my colleagues, too, for trusting that I could develop this space for our school, and for their patience and support as I learned the ropes.  I hope instructors will find it useful in marketing and strategy courses focused on disruptive technologies and niche strategies in Latin American business,” said the winning author.

MENA Business Cases, sponsored byHEC Paris in Qatar

“Almajid Limited: The tumultuous journey of a multigenerational enterprise in Saudi Arabia (Parts A, B, C & D)”, written by:

• Virginia Bodolica, American University of Sharjah, AE
• Martin Spraggon, Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, AE

“Our case leverages the redemptive power of creative storytelling techniques by infusing the world of visual arts into the analysis of complex, multidimensional phenomena in a family-owned corporation from Saudi Arabia. The case narrative is enhanced with a professionally-designed, culturally-rooted anime that helps readers visualize the story, picture somebody’s else reality, and empathize with key protagonists to secure optimal decision making. We are happy to receive this international recognition of our contribution to the advancement of MENA-based management education and are thankful for the opportunity to share our case research with teachers and practitioners from all over the world,” said Virginia Bodolica and Martin Spraggon.

Responsible Business, sponsored by School of Business, The American University in Cairo (AUC)

“Voles System’s Bribery Accusations in China”, written by:

• Daniel Han Ming Chng, China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), CN
• Xin Pi, China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), CN
• Liman Zhao, China Europe International Business School (CEIBS), CN

“There are many cases about MNCs operating overseas but very few about the dark side of international business. Today, responsible management is central to all companies. Yet, many companies struggle to implement effective corporate governance practices. Our case illustrates the governance challenges of MNCs operating in a fast-growing emerging market like China, where institutions are not only underdeveloped but also substantively different and where MNCs’ strategic imperatives can often create governance problems. We hope that our case will help business educators and students understand the importance of corporate governance and become more responsible business leaders,” commented the winners.

Responsible Leadership, sponsored by University of San Diego – School of Business

“PMI’s Vision of a Smoke-Free Future: Can a Tobacco Company be Sustainable?”, written by:

• Vanina Farber, IMD – Institute for Management Development, CH
• Natalia Olynec, IMD – Institute for Management Development, CH

“I love teaching this case because it does not have a “right” or “wrong” answer. It forces students to assess critically what sustainability means and how it can drive the transformation of a business model even beyond PMI’s story. They need to apply their MBA skills to assess the materiality of PMI’s “smoke-free world” proposal while simultaneously thinking about the soft skills required to build trust and engage stakeholders. However, the case does not end there… It also requires students to confront the ethical dilemma of how to manage sustainability issues in the context of a “sin industry”. The mix of passionate and rational reflection is what makes this case so valuable and fun to teach,” said Vanina Farber.

Supply Chain Management, sponsored by Coventry Business School

“Workshop: Building an Industry 4.0 Transformation Roadmap”, written by:

• Ralf W. Seifert, IMD – Institute for Management Development, CH
• Richard Markoff, IMD – Institute for Management Development, CH

“We are honored to have our case recognized by EFMD. Industry 4.0 can be a complex, daunting subject, but with the participation of SmarterChains IMD has found a way to render it tangible and accessible. The focus is on making the right choices and master plan rather than on the technology. It’s a fun case for both instructors and students,” commented the winners

Women in Business, sponsored by IMD – Institute for Management Development

“Google LLC: The Diversity Manifesto and Leader Candour”, written by:

• Raymond Chiu, Brock University, CA
• Fernando Olivera, Ivey Business School, CA

“Writing about the challenges of communication and trust in the heated context of gender discrimination was both intellectually and emotionally challenging. We feel grateful and privileged to be recognised by EFMD. Cases can take us right into the heart of charged, current dilemmas. This seems particularly true for the topic of open communication at a time where we’re seeing “a crisis of truth” and the need to face sexism and ideological differences with empathy and candour,” said the authors.

For more information, please visit the EFMD Case Writing Competition website.